📝 Daily Practice
🎯 Lesson Goal
This lesson reviews defining and non-defining relative clauses. You will practice how to correctly use these clauses to add important or extra information in sentences. This lesson will help you improve clarity and detail in your speaking and writing.
🧠 Grammar Focus
Defining and non-defining relative clauses have different functions. A defining clause identifies exactly which person or thing we mean: ‘The hotel that offers traditional food is popular.’ It is essential to the meaning and does not use commas. A non-defining clause gives additional information: ‘The hotel, which has been open for fifty years, is popular.’ It is separated by commas and can usually be removed without changing the main meaning. Use ‘who’ for people, ‘which’ for things, ‘whose’ for possession, and ‘where’ for places. ‘That’ is common in defining clauses but not in non-defining clauses.
📖 Short Reading
Last summer, I visited a small town which is famous for its old castle. The tour guide, who was very knowledgeable, explained the castle’s history in detail. We met a local artist who showed us paintings inspired by the town’s scenery. The artist’s workshop, where he creates most of his work, was very interesting. I also stayed at a family-run hotel that offers traditional food. The hotel, which has been open for over 50 years, provided a very comfortable stay. I enjoyed meeting people who shared stories about their town’s past, which made my visit unforgettable.
✏️ Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks
1. The book ____ explains modern technology is very popular. (who / which / where)
2. My colleague, ____ started the project last year, is very experienced. (who / that / where)
3. We stayed at a hotel ____ had excellent reviews online. (which / who / where)
4. The man ____ you met yesterday is my manager. (who / whose / which)
5. The museum, ____ was built in 1800, attracts many visitors. (who / where / which)
6. I like people ____ are passionate about their work. (who / which / where)
7. The town ____ we visited had beautiful landscapes. (which / where / who)
8. The writer, ____ books I read recently, lives nearby. (who / which / whose)
🔗 Exercise 2 – Matching
1. Defining relative clause
2. Non-defining relative clause
3. Relative pronoun ‘who’
4. Relative pronoun ‘which’
5. Relative pronoun ‘where’
6. Comma usage
7. Defining vs Non-defining
8. Example of defining
✅ Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice
1. Which sentence contains a non-defining relative clause?
2. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The restaurant ____ serves Italian food is nearby.
3. Identify the defining relative clause in this sentence: The employee who fixed the computer left early.
4. In which sentence is a comma used correctly with a relative clause?
5. Choose the defining clause: The city ____ I was born is very old.
6. Which sentence uses ‘that’ correctly?
7. Select the sentence with a non-defining relative clause:
8. Choose the correct word: The artist ____ paintings I like has a new exhibition.
📝 Writing Practice
1. Write 3-5 sentences describing a place you have visited recently. Use at least two relative clauses to give essential and extra information.
📚 Key Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| defining clause | a part that gives necessary information to identify something |
| non-defining clause | extra information that is not essential |
| relative pronoun | words like who, which, that, used to start clauses |
| essential | very important |
| extra information | additional details |
| separate by commas | put commas around extra information |
| identify | recognize or name |
| workshop | a place where an artist makes things |
| comfortable | pleasant and relaxing |
| knowledgeable | having a lot of information |
| traditional | based on old customs |
| history | past events |
| inspired | motivated to create |
| unforgettable | very memorable |
🔎 Answer Key
- exercise_1_fill_blanks: 1.which 2.who 3.which 4.who 5.which 6.who 7.which 8.whose
- exercise_2_matching: 1.Defining relative clause – Gives essential information to identify something 2.Non-defining relative clause – Adds extra details not necessary to identify 3.Relative pronoun ‘who’ – Refers to people 4.Relative pronoun ‘which’ – Refers to things or animals 5.Relative pronoun ‘where’ – Refers to places 6.Comma usage – Separates non-defining clauses from the main sentence 7.Defining vs Non-defining – Use ‘that’ only in defining clauses 8.Example of defining – The student who studies hard passes exams.
- exercise_3_multiple_choice: 1.My boss, who is very strict, gave me extra work. 2.which 3.who fixed the computer 4.My sister, who lives abroad, is visiting next month. 5.where I was born 6.The person that called you is my friend. 7.The hotel, which we stayed at, was very clean. 8.whose
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